The Grenada gazette., 1887-09-17

oh! sir, save me from them. even if
You have to shoot me-"
But you've got to comet shouted
the half f-brecd.
''She shall not gor' l shouted at him.
Il give you two villains sixty seconds
in which to leave camp. Now go!"
They were close together, and my
rife covered both They looked
straight at me for fifteen or twenty
seconds, and then turned and rode
away into the darkness. I followed
them for a hundred yards, when they
urged their horses to a gallop. and
rode to the north without looking
back. I stood and looked after them
until I could no longer hear the beat
Of their horses hoofs and I felt rather
proud of my nerve in driving them
away. It did not occur to me until
next day that either or both Of them
could have got the drop on me up to the
time raised my rifle. and that while
they were making threats Of what they
would do they left their rifles lying
across their saddles. They simply per-
mitted me to force them out Of camp
at the muzzle Of my Winchester, and
that was part Of their plan. When l
returned to the fire the woman was be-
side it, her face betraying fear and dis
tress, and as soon rs l came up she
clasped her hands and tearfully ex-
claimed:
"Oh, you will not let them take me
away-you will not!'
l assured her that they had been
driven of. and that she was safe. and
her gratitude was unbounded. 1t was
now ten o'clock and after. and Patton
had not yet returned. 1t was useless
to expect him until morning, and set
about preparing the camp for
the night As there was q
strong probability that the two
men driven off would secure reinforce
ments and return during the night, 1
tied the horse to the wagon, told the
woman that she could occupy the ve-
hicle, and prepared to spend the night
on guard. She seemed to oppose this
latter arrangement doubling if the
men would return. and declaring it
was sacrifice on my part she could
not accept. I bundled her into the
wagon. however. promising that I
might catch a nap after one or two
o'clock, if all was quiet, and by and by
I let the fire 60 down and took my cir
Gle around the camp with cat-like step.
A few coyotes and wolves came about,
but nothing seemed to disturb me, and
the hours passed away until two
o'clock. BY that time was very tired
and sleepy. I dared not stretch out
for a regular sleep. knowing that the
danger was not yet passed, but I sat
down on knoll about forty feet north
of the wagon to nap little. knowing
that any noise Of account would in
stantly arouse me. 1t was perhaps a
quarter Of an hour before I actually
fell asleep, and almost instantly I be-
gan to dream. Idreamed that l was
tied fast to a tree ON the plains, and
that rattlesnake was crawling toward
me. The snake was coming to bite
me, and l was helpless. Every move
ment Of the reptile was as vivid
as II the dream had been q
reality. and my mind was as clear
as bell. The serpent came very
slowly, halting every two or three feet
to rear its head and look about and
when it was within ten feet its form
changed. 1t was yet serpent. but it
had small brown hand, and the hand
a bulldog pistol. The pistol
was pointed full at mo. and l saw that
the hammer was up.
"Whizz!" went shadow before my
face, and then saw him behind me.
The snake was NO longer In front, but
creeping up in my rear, and yet I saw
him as plainly as before. He came on
slowly-cautiously always little
nearer When within three feet Of my
heels the pistol was raised to the back
Of my head, and said to myself:
so l am to be shot. It is u large
bullet, and l wonder why he didn't
bite mee II was loose l would make
a fierc eight for my life"
"Clung" 1t was the sound Of .
pistol hammer striking on the center
of q cartridge-a cartridge which had
lailed to explode. In the same second
was on my feet. I human figure
stood before me. l gave my heavy
.ids a half sweep. and tho figure sank
iowu with o stiaed shrek. Then I
was fully awake. and bent over the |
stranger, to find it was the woman
who should have been asleep |
IN the wagon. She was uncon.
,cious, but clutched firmly in
her right hand was bull-dog pistol.
wrenched it away and carried her to
he embers of the fire. and when I had
secured blaze I saw that l had struck
,er on the head and given hor bad
,urt. examined the pistol. and when
found that the cartridge had been
ricd by the hammer. it did not take
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